Telephone booth



Dec. 13, 1938. w. A. GULLlcKsr-:N

TELEPHONE BOOTH 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed sept. le," 1938 gpg Dec. 13, 1938.

w. A. GULLICKSEN TELEPHONE BOOTH ,Filed Sept. 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELEPHONE BOOTH corporation of Illinois Application September 16, 1938, Serial No. 230,197

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to telephone booths, and is particularly concerned with Ventilating and lighting arrangements for telephone booths, which are adapted to be controlled or actuated by means of the opening and/or closing of the door of the booth'.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved telephone booth of the type having a door-controlled lighting and ven* tilating arrangement, in which the structure of the booth is so simplied that it is more economical, so that it may be placed within the reach of a larger number of purchasers.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved telephone booth door and control switch structure in which the control of the ventilation and lighting is more critical than in the devices of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved door control switch structure for telephone booths in which the switch is adapted to be actuated at a predetermined point in closing or opening the door.

Another' object is the provision of an improved door-actuated switch structure for telephone booths which is substantially noiseless and which is more readily available for inspection and repair.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View, taken from the inside of the telephone booth at the top, embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig/'B is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a full sized fragmentary sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram.

Referring to Fig. l, the telephone booths It embodying the invention are preferably provided with the side walls I I, I 2, rear wall I3, front wall i4, double ceiling I5, I6, and the front wall may be provided with a Ventilating electric fan driven by a motor I'I.

The motor I'I is connected in parallel withv the electric light I8 by a pair of conductors I9, 20,

(Cil. 2200-54) which are controlled by means of the switch 2l. The switch 2| is preferably a snap switch of the button-actuated type, which is provided with spring means for urging the switch to open pesiton. It has a housing 22 and a threaded 5 23 and a projecting button 2t. The threaded shank may be conveniently mounted on a metal plate 25 by means of a pair of lock nuts so that the switch may be secured in place in a recess 2l' by a pair of wood screws 223.

The booth is provided with a door frame com-- prising the front Wall i4 and the stiles 3 i, and the door may comprise a pair of sections 32, 33 hingedly mounted at 34 and hinged to the stile Si@ by means of the hinge 35.

In order to guide the door into its proper position, the upper part of the door section is -rovided with a guide member 3B comprising a metal bracket having an attaching flange it?, which is secured to the door section 33 by wood screv The guide member 36 has an upwardly extendu ing cylindrical trunnion 39, which may be pr vided with a ber block 4i), having a bore il tting on the trunnion 39. The guide member it is pro vided with a stop shoulder ft2, upon which the block rests. The block 4i! is preferably substantially rectangular in plan and elevation, and is adapted to be slidably received in a guide cho' 43, which is carried by a transverse frame ber. 44.

The transverse frame member 4s is provided with a slot 45 for receiving the channelled metal guide member 43, which has a pair of parallel flanges 46, 41 joined by a body flange di?. The body flange 48 is provided with an aperture 4: for passing the threaded shank 23 of the switch and the transverse frame member 't4 is provided with a bore 50 and with a recess 2i for receiving the parts of the switch 2l. Thus the button 24 may project into the guide channel i3 in a vertical direction.

The ber block 4G is preferably provided. with a rounded camming surface El at each of its upper corners, and the block is of less depth than channelled member, so as to provide space :for switch actuating arm 52. The switch actuating arm 52 may comprise a resilient metal member having an attaching ange 53 provided with aperture 54 for receiving a wood screw which secures it in the guide channel 43 and frame member 44.

The guide channel is provided with a registering aperture 56 for the wood screw 55. The width of the switch actuating arm 52 is preferably slightly less than the width of the guide channel 43, and the switch actuating arm is provided with an offset portion 5i and a longitudinally extending body portion 58. At its leit end (Fig. 4) it is provided with an upwardly curved end, providing a camming surface 59, and the extreme end 60 is adapted to engage the body flange 48 of the guide channel 3. The normal position of the switch actuating arm 52 when it is not engaged by the block liti is shown in dot-clash lines in Fig. 4,

which time the switch button 24 is in its extended position so that the switch 2l is in open position. This is also the position of the parts,

as shown in Fig. 3, in dotted lines, with the door in folded and open position at the left.

When the switch is in this condition and the door is open, both the motor li and electric'light I8 are turned oit, as no ventilation or illumination is required when the door is open and the booth is not in use. The offset 5I is such that when the block 40 has progressed to the point shown in Fig. 4 the switch actuating arm 52 has its point til forced into engagement with guide channel 123, and the push button 24 has been actuated by the intermediate body portion 58 of the switch arm -Z to closed position. This energizes the motor i? and the electric light YI3 simultaneously, and it will thus be observed that when the door is moved to closed position (Fig. 3, full lines), the ventilation ian is then actuated and the booth is illuminated.

The cost of a switching arrangementconstructed according to 'the invention is a fraction oi that of the devices of the prior art, in which the door section was provided with an upwardly extending arm for actuating switching arrangement located between the ceilings l5 and U3. The ventilation and illumination are more positively controlled and more certainly actuated at a predetermined point in the movement of the door. 'Ihere is no ventilation or illumination unless the door is substantially closed, and thus it is as sured that the switch will not be left closed by users who leave the door in partially closed positions.

The Guide ehanne is provided at its left end (Fig. 3) with a felt stop block S3, which is adapted to engage the block d when the door is in open position, to absorb the shock of stoppage of the door sections when the door has been oompletely opened.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment or my invention, many modicationsl may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth. but`desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. In a telephone booth, the combination of a booth having side walls and ceiling, with a door comprising a pair of sections pivoted together, one of the sections being pivoted to the wall of the booth, a guide member carried by the other of said sections, and having a part extending into a. channelled guiding member, said channelled guiding member extending transversely and backwardly from the closed position of the door, and switch means located in said channelled member and adapted to be actuated by said part when the door has reached substantially closed position.

2. In a telephone booth, the combination of a booth having side walls and ceiling, with a door comprising a pair of sections pivoted together, one of the sections being pivoted to the wall of the booth, a guide member carried by the other of said sections, and having a part extending into a channelled guiding member, said channelled guiding member extending transversely and backwardly from the closed position of the door, and switch means located in said channelled member and adapted to be actuated by said part when the door has reached substantially closed position, said switch means comprising a Switch having an actuating member urged to open switch position and projecting through an aperture in said channelled guide member.

3. In atelephone booth, the combination of a booth having side walls and ceiling, with a door comprising a pair of sections pivoted together, one of the sections being pivoted to the. wall of the booth, a guide member carried by the other of said sections, and having a part extending into a channelled guiding member, said channelled guiding member extending transversely and backwardly from the closed position of the door, and switch means located in said channelled member and adapted to be actuated by said part when the door has reached substantially closed position, said switch means comprising a switch having an actuating member urged to open switch position and projecting through an aperture in said channelled guide member, and said part comprising a trunnion provided with a nonmetallic block slidably engaged in said channelled member and adapted to actuate said switch.

4. In a telephone booth, the combination of a booth having side Walls and ceiling, with a door comprising a pair of sections pivoted together, one of the sections being pivoted tc the wall of the booth, a guide member carried by the other of said sections, and having a part extending into a channelled guiding member, said channelled guiding member extending transversely and backwardly from the closed position oi the door, and switch means located in said channelled member and adapted to be actuated by said part when the door has reached substantially closed position, said switch means comprising a switch having an actuating member urged to open switch position and projecting through an aperture in said channelled guide member, and said part comprising a trunnion provided with a nonmetallic block slidably engaged in said channelled member and adapted to actuate said switch, said block slidably engaging a resilient metal arm, and said metal arm engaging said switch member.

5. In a telephone booth, the combination of a two-section door with a channelled guide member, and a guide member carried by one ol the sections of said door, and having a trunnion, said trunnion carrying a block slidably mounted in said guide member, a resilient switch arm located above said block in said channelled member and extending substantially parallel to said channelled guide member, and switch means adapted to be actuated by said arm when the block has reached predetermined position.

6. In a telephone booth, the combination of a two-section door with a channelled guide member, and a guide member carried by one of the sections of said door, and having a trunnion, said trunnion carrying a block slidably mounted in said guide member, a resilient switch arm located above said block in said channelled member and extending substantially parallel to said channelled guide member, and switch means adapted to be actuated by said arm when the block has reached predetermined position, said switch means comprising a snap switch of the button-actuated type, spring-urged to open switch position, said button being engaged by said resilient arm.

7. In a telephone booth, the combination of a two-section door with a channelled guide member, and a guide member carried by one of the sections of said door, and having a trunnion, said trunnion carrying a block slidably mounted in said guide member, a resilient switch arm 1ocated above said block in said channelled member and extending substantially parallel to said channelled guide member, and switch means adapted to be actuated by said arm when the block has reached predetermined position, said switch means comprising a snap switch of the button-actuated type, spring-urged to open switch position, said button being engaged by said resilient arm, said arm having a laterally curved end portion adapted to engage said channelled guide member, and having a resilient offset portion adjacent an attaching ange which is secured to said channelled guide member.

WILLARD A. GULLICKSEN. 

